By Shad HashmiNews StaffThe faculty of the DuPree School of Management has suggested to the President's office that it would like total autonomy from the Ivan Allen College. This suggestion means that the DuPree School of Management would have its own Dean. The DuPree School of Management will also exercise total control over its budget and affairs.
The President's Executive Assistant, Mark Smith, has categorically stated that the President's Office is in the process of examining the benefits of creating a new organizational structure for the present units of the Ivan Allen College. At this stage, the restructuring remains as a recommendation from the faculty of the Ivan Allen College.
After the search for a new dean for the DuPree School of Management fell through, the President's Office asked the faculty leaders of the Ivan Allen College for their recommendations for a new dean. The faculty leaders, instead, came up with the new proposal, which includes fundamental restructuring to optimize the growth and performance of the DuPree School of Management.
Because Robert Hawkins, Dean of the Ivan Allen College, will be retiring in September, Smith states that now is the perfect time for such action to be considered. The new deans of both colleges would, as a result of the change, be aware of their positions and responsibilities from the outset of their terms at Georgia Tech.
According to Smith, "The DuPree School of Management would be in a stronger position to move forward if its structure was changed."
This process is still very much in the planning stages. The faculties of the Ivan Allen College and the DuPree School of Management still have to converge, settle any problems within the faculty members themselves, and iron out the details of this restructuring. A 'white paper,' formal recommendation, will then be submitted. After the submission of this recommendation, the proposal must be presented to the academic senate for approval. The proposal, if it is completed, must win the approval of the Board of Regents.
The time frame for this change is between six months and a year. The process is still littered with obstacles.
The consensus between the faculties of The Ivan Allen College and the DuPree School of Management, which is imperative to this change, may take longer than expected. The academic senate may also reject the proposal. In short, there is still a long way to go.
Dean Hawkins declined to comment on the issue. President Wayne Clough, however, is enthusiastic about the proposed change.
Clough said, "I am excited by the potential that lies within the units in the (Ivan Allen) college and what it can mean for Georgia Tech's future. We need to find the best way for this to be realized."